Moonshadow
by Arathi
Summary: Strange things have been happening to Sam. While Jacob and Selmak are trying to find out what's wrong, in the midst of their own arguments, they must also undertake a mission with SG-1. Summary WILL CHANGE with updates.
1. Prologue Night strangeness

Title: Moonshadow (will be explained later in the fic)

Author: Arathi 

Rating: PG-13 for later chapters

Archive: Nowhere yet.

Category: Supernatural/General

Summary: Some very strange things have been happening to Sam. Better summary later.

Disclaimers: I don't own SG-1 etc. and I'm not getting money for this.

Spoilers: Various small spoilers will be scattered through the story. 

Warnings: There will be some violence in later chapters, also some swearing.

Status: Work in progress. I am a college student so it may be a while between updates. 

Authors Notes: Thanks to Matt, Terri, Julie, and Josh for the feedback while editing and for encouragement. 

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The four members of SG-1 looked out of the cave mouth over the arid moonlit landscape that lay between them and the Gate. Although the scene no longer shimmered with heat, it remained quite hot. 

"I still believe we should wait for first light," said Keathu, a local man who had been a great help to them and was acting as a guide. "It's nearly moonset. After that, it gets very cold very quickly. We'll have no shelter once we leave these caves and you insist on not building a fire."

"I don't wanna be seen, caught, and thrown back in that cage the Goa'uld had us in," O'Neill replied. "Fire would give us away, that's why I had you put out the torches. They were needed in the caves, but out here, they're a liability."

"The Jaffa that're after us don't have to worry about being seen," Sam explained. "They'll beat us to the Gate if we don't get moving."

"I understand the reasons, but I still believe we should wait here until morning," Keathu said. Seeing his last plea had no effect, he sighed and shook his head before starting out. O'Neill fell in behind him followed by Sam and then Daniel with Teal'c acting as rearguard.

"Just one question before we go too far," Daniel began. "Once the moon sets, how're we gonna see where we're going?"

"We'll worry about that when it happens," O'Neill told him. 

They continued their journey in silence, careful to give a camp of nomads a wide berth. As they walked, Sam thought over the past hours that had brought them to this nocturnal hike.

The team had come to the planet to examine ruins seen near the Gate, not knowing that the plateau the MALP camera saw in the distance had a small Goa'uld encampment on it. They'd been caught off guard when the Gate opened for a team of Jaffa to come through. Somewhere in the ensuing fight, they'd been hit with a stun grenade. Waking up temporarily blind and locked in a cage under the sweltering heat of the sun had not been pleasant. 

Being forced to help build a temple to a minor Goa'uld alongside several dozen enslaved locals hadn't been their idea of fun either. Although it wouldn't have been quite so bad if they'd been allowed a drink of water like the other workers. As it happened, they hadn't gotten a drink until a rebel group attacked and freed a number of people. Even then it hadn't been nearly enough to quench Sam's thirst.

Keathu, who'd been among the rebels, had managed to retrieve a GDO. It was the only piece of their original equipment they had and its retrieval was part of why they were following Keathu rather than someone else. They also had a staff weapon and three zats, while their guide carried an additional zat and a pair of scimitars, among other things.

Sam looked past O'Neill at the figure leading them, trying to guess what his backpack contained. At least it was something to think about other than the slowly increasing chill in the air and the fact that her jacket was gone. She really had no idea what was in the pack he carried and didn't matter much. She could tell he wasn't Goa'uld, but it did make her slightly nervous that she didn't know why he was helping them. 

As it got darker, and colder, their pace slowed and Sam started to shiver a little. Then, suddenly, she froze and Daniel walked into her with a slight "oomph."

"Why'd you stop?" he asked.

"Shh," she whispered, readying her zat. "Did you hear that?"

"Hear what?" O'Neill asked quietly as he and the others stopped to look at her.

Sam was starting to get an odd feeling she sometimes had, one she associated with one or sometimes two of her senses getting abnormally keen. It wasn't a feeling she could describe or that she enjoyed, although it did have a knack for coming when she needed it most.

She closed her eyes and listened intently for a moment before answering. "Jaffa, sir. I'm not sure how far off, but if I can hear them it's not far enough." The sounds of the men arming their weapons seemed too loud in her ears.

"Great," O'Neill said sarcastically. "How're we gonna fight our way past Jaffa in the dark?"

The moon chose that moment to finish setting and just as Keathu said, the temperature began to drop more rapidly. No one could see more than a few feet with only the starlight. No one except Sam.

"I can't lead you any further without light," Keathu told them, stating the obvious.

Sam looked around for a moment, and spotted something. "I think I can get us to the Gate from here," she told the others. "I can just make out that statue that was at the edge of the ruins over there."

"I can't see a damn thing," O'Neill said. "But if you can then by all means, lead on. Just go slow so we don't get separated."

As they started off, Sam was careful not to turn to look at them, knowing from past experience that when this particular thing happened, her eyes _changed_. She'd caught a glimpse of it in a mirror once; they just didn't look human when her nightvision improved. She didn't want them to see, didn't want them to know.

While they followed her through the ruins, Sam kept an ear out for the Jaffa, but heard only the footsteps of the men behind her. She was starting to doubt what she'd heard when she spotted them in the worst possible place.

"Get down," she whispered over her shoulder.

"Wha'd'ya see?" O'Neill asked as he came up beside her.

"There are six serpent guards at the Gate, sir," she told him.

"Teal'c, would those serpent helmets do anything to help their nightvision?"

"They would," was his response.

"Crap," O'Neill muttered. "So they could see us but most of us can't see them. Looks like this one's up to you Carter. Give Teal'c your zat and you take the staff."

"Yes sir."

"Try to get as close as you can while staying covered before you shoot."

Sam nodded, not knowing or caring if he saw the gesture as she moved to carry out his orders. The strange feeling was getting stronger as some instinct for moving silently that she didn't know she had started to kick in. She was beginning to shiver a lot now, her fingers starting to go numb from the cold. She hated that indescribable odd feeling. It might be helpful, but it was also very distracting. And right now she needed all her concentration to keep her frigid hands from shaking while she dealt with the serpent guards.

Sam quietly moved forward until she found a good spot where she could fire the staff weapon from behind a crumbling wall. She paused a moment and tried to force back the odd feeling as much as she could. When she felt back in control, she fired.

Within minutes, she was dialing the coordinates for Earth. Daniel used the light of the open Stargate to enter their IDC before he went through.

"I'm coming with you," Keathu stated as Teal'c disappeared into the Gate's shimmering surface.

"No you're not," O'Neill said flatly. "You've been a great help but you have to stay here."

"I wasn't asking permission," he responded.

"You can't-"

"Sir, there's no time to argue," Sam cut in abruptly, her statement punctuated by a staff blast flying past them. They ran for the gate.

"Close the iris!" O'Neill shouted as soon as they were on the other side.

Everything sounded to loud to Sam, and the lights of the gate room hurt her eyes. She blinked and tried to shield them with her hand. A quick look around assured her everyone was okay, but she accidentally met O'Neill's eyes for a second before he looked away.

__

Oh shit, Sam thought, covering her eyes as he looked back at her.

"You okay Carter?" he asked.

"Yea, it's just taking a minute for my eyes to adjust." The strange feeling was fading fast and she chanced a look at him when he asked if she was sure she was all right, but she didn't meet his gaze. She was not all right. She could tell by the worried look on her commanding officers face that he'd noticed. 

As she headed out of the gate room she hoped that no one else had noticed and he wouldn't tell anyone what he'd seen. She'd made a mistake, a big one, and she couldn't let it happen again.

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I have the rest of the story mapped out and a bit more than this written, so the first update should be fairly soon. After that, how often I'll update will depend on how much free time I have.

By the way, does anyone know how to keep a document indented properly when you convert it to html format? Not something I necessarily need to know, just something I'd like to know.

One question I MUST have answered before I can post ch 1.

Is Selmak a 'he' or a 'she'?


	2. Ch1 Troubles

Title: Moonshadow (will be explained later, I promise)

Author: Arathi

Rating: PG-13 for later chapters

Archive: Does this count? I'm kinda confused on what this is. This is my first fic after all.

Category: Supernatural/Action/Adventure

Summary: Some very strange things have been happening to Sam. It's getting hard enough to hide them from her friends, so how can she hide them from her father? And just what is Jacob hiding from her? Better summary later, I don't want to give anything away.

Disclaimers: The usual. See the prologue if it really matters.

Spoilers: Various small spoilers may or may not be scattered around in this fic.

Warnings: There will be some violence in later chapters (hence the rating).

Status: Work in progress. I am a college student so it may be a while between updates.

Authors notes: Okay, so the problem was this; technically symbiotes have no gender, but are Tok'Ra symbiotes always considered to be the same gender as the host, or does personality mark them as one gender or the other regardless of the host's gender? Or to put it simply, is Selmak a 'he' or a 'she?'

Between what was said by reviewers (all of whom I would like to thank), a survey of friends, and a sort of survey of other fics involving Jacob/Selmak, I've gotten a pretty even vote for whether Selmak is a 'he' or a 'she.' Because of the role Selmak will be playing in this fic, I've decided to portray Selmak as a she.

Also, classes have started again at the college I go to, so my time to write will be limited. I will try to update as often as I can, but I give no guarantees on how often that'll be.

Thanks again to Matt and Julie for feedback while editing.

In other notes; -- denotes a change in point of view, _italics denote thoughts, 'and italics in quotes denote conversation between Jacob and Selmak.'_

On with the story!

Jacob Carter stuffed the last few things he'd need into his bag before leaving for Earth. There were two reasons why he was headed home. The first was because the SGC had contacted the Tok'Ra saying there was someone there who wanted to meet with one of them. The second was to ask his daughter and her teammates for help on a mission Selmak had requested but he did _not_ want.

Usually Jacob and Selmak got along without a problem. They had their periodic disagreements, which usually ended in agreeing to disagree and leaving it at that. Full-blown arguments were thankfully rare. They left Jacob with terrible headaches, like the one he had now, as well as bad moods for both of them. And these were the least of their problems.

Jacob had always thought he most hated arguing with his children, but that no longer rang true. He most hated arguing with Selmak. At least with his kids he could walk away and come back when he was calmer. With Selmak, he didn't have that luxury.

Slinging the bag over his shoulder, he headed for the ring platform that would take him out of the crystalline tunnels of the Tok'Ra base and onto the surface of their current homeworld. He was careful to avoid the more trafficked tunnels whenever possible. There was no sense in tempting his bad mood to blow up on an innocent bystander.

On that note, as Jacob stood before the DHD, he paused and closed his eyes for a moment, forcing his temper under control before he was tempted to literally punch in the coordinates for Earth. Despite her indirect involvement in his argument with Selmak, Jacob was _not_ going to let his anger take itself out on his daughter. It wouldn't be fair to her.

This whole situation is unfair, to her and me, he thought. Jacob could direct his thought 'away' from Selmak to keep them private if he wanted to, or 'toward' her to make sure she heard. At that moment, he didn't care one way or the other.

'You say that as though this were my fault,' Selmak remarked.

'That's because it is _your fault. You requested a mission you _knew_ I didn't want and even told the council I had experience that might be helpful just so I couldn't back out of it.' _

'This problem started well before you met me, you simply refuse to deal with it.'

'I dealt with it in the way that I saw fit and you have no right to interfere in my relationship with Sam!'

'You think it is appropriate to lie to her?'

'It's not lying. It's just not giving her information that could put her at risk. There's a difference.'

'As you would say, the key word in that sentence is 'could.' How do you know for certain?'

'You know damn well how I know.'

'That was a long time ago, and she is no longer a child in need of your protection.'

'Shut up!' Jacob could feel Selmak's anger and frustration as she mentally turned her back on her host, not to sulk, which wasn't her personality, but for a measure of privacy.

is knewJacob could feel Selmak's anger and frustration as she mentally turned her back on her host, not to sulk, which wasn't her personality, but for a measure of privacy. 

Jacob tried with limited success to get himself under control before finally walking through the 'Gate. He was welcomed by George, Jack, Daniel, and Teal'c. He greeted each of them in turn and was just about to ask where Sam was when she walked in.

"Hey Dad," she said as she hugged him. Was it just him or did she seem awfully tense?

"How're you doing kid?" he asked her.

"Okay." Her tone was noncommittal and she didn't look at him as she said it. Jacob's parental instincts told him something was very wrong, but he wouldn't pursue the matter in such a public place as the 'Gate room and settled for giving her a disbelieving look.

"What's with the bag of stuff?" Jack asked suddenly.

"I have more than one reason for being here. I'll explain it later." Seeing Jack's expression he added, "And no I'm not in the mood for one of your sarcastic remarks."

"I wasn't going to make one," the colonel answered, switching to an expression of feigned innocence.

"The day you don't at least try to take advantage of every opportunity to be sarcastic is the day pigs fly."

Sam walked quickly along the corridors of the SGC, heading for her lab.

"Major Carter," called someone behind her. "Colonel O'Neill was looking for you."

"Thanks," she lied. She wanted to be left alone. She certainly didn't want to confront O'Neill of all people. Not after her slip-up returning from their most recent mission.

For a moment she considered changing destinations, but quickly rejected the idea. She could feel an attack of the odd feeling coming and wanted to head it off. She needed privacy to do that and the only places in the SGC where she had a chance of being left alone were her quarters and her lab. The later of the two was closer.

Sam didn't bother closing the door or turning on the lights when she reached the lab. Sitting down at her desk, she hoped the semi-darkness would grant her the privacy she needed at that moment. Closing her eyes, she focused on controlling the odd feeling. It wasn't working.

She knew when she could make out the conversations of people passing her lab more clearly than normal that her hearing had sharpened again. One conversation between two very familiar voices caught her attention.

"What, you don't think what happened back on that planet was a little strange?" O'Neill's voice asked.

"Well, yea, but does it really matter?" came Daniel's reply. "Sam didn't exactly look like she wanted company after the debriefing."

"If that were my only concern right now, maybe it wouldn't matter so much. Problem is, that's not my only concern."

"Then what else is there?"

The footsteps that had accompanied their conversation up to that point stopped. From the sound of it, they weren't that far from her lab, but they weren't at the door yet either. Sam half wished she'd closed the door.

"When we first got back, while we were still in the 'Gate room, did you notice anything odd about her?" O'Neill asked.

"Odd how?"

"I dunno, just… odd."

It was silent a moment before Daniel responded. "On they way out of the 'Gate room Sam seemed kinda nervous. Is that what you mean?"

"Not really…"

"What then? I don't know what you're asking."

"For a second I thought I saw something… different… about her. I'm not even entirely sure it wasn't my mind playing tricks on me after a long day. That's why I asked, to see if you'd seen it too."

"I'd have to say I didn't see then, 'cause I still don't know what you're talking about."

"Maybe it _was_ just my imagination then"

"What exactly did you see?"

There was silence for a time before O'Neill answered. "For a second I thought there was something weird about her eyes. Just for a second. Then when I looked again it was gone. And no I don't mean weird like glowing. Just… weird."

Another silence fell, broken this time by footsteps continuing towards the lab. Sam slid out of her chair onto the floor. Sitting with her back against her desk she was out of sight from the door. She only half listened as the two men glanced in and commented it was odd for her to leave the door open when she wasn't there. They closed the door behind them as they left to continue looking for her, cutting her off from eavesdropping on any further conversation.

O'Neill had told Daniel about her slip up in the 'Gate room, when she'd accidentally let him see how her eyes changed when her nightvision improved. If he told Daniel he'd almost certainly tell Teal'c and possibly someone else. Sam fought off a wave of panic as these thoughts raced through her head.

Once calm, she realized that in listening to her two friends' discussion, she'd ignored the odd feeling. She also realized that it had taken full advantage of her lapse in concentration.

It wasn't just her hearing that had improved. She once again found herself able to see in near darkness, with the only light coming from the instruments around her, even if the fine details were missing. Also, the room seemed filled with dozens of rich impressions it took Sam a moment to realize were smells. Each one separate yet tied to the rest in such a way that it formed a kind of vague picture of the room in her mind.

Yes, her sense of smell had improved before. But it had never been nearly to the degree it was at that moment. She suddenly thought of one of her high school teachers talking about how some animals saw the world as much with their noses as their eyes and ears.

Sam closed her eyes and curled her hands into fists, trying to force the strange feeling back. It still wasn't working.

Her thoughts turned to the gradual unexplained worsening of the odd feeling since the first time she'd felt it. She'd barely noticed it the first time, not long before she'd had the 'vision' or dream that had led her to the Tok'Ra. Each time she'd felt it since, it was a little harder to ignore and a little harder to push back. Each time its effects were a little more noticeable. Now it was all but completely out of control.

Sam had never had three of her senses improve at once before. She could feel instincts she couldn't quite define pushing at the back of her mind. The whole situation was a rather big jump from the last attack she'd had, and it was frightening.

Sam suddenly became aware of two things. One was the pain of her nails digging into the palms of her hands. The other was the smell of blood. Her blood.

Forcing herself to unclench her fists and open her eyes, Sam looked down at her hands. As it was too dark to see fine detail, Sam turned on a desk lamp. Once she did she could see where her nails had begun to cut into her palms. Looking more closely, she noticed the cuts were the wrong shape. Her eyes darted to her nails, but they weren't normal fingernails anymore.

They were claws.

Sam fought back the wave of fear and panic the best she could. She'd never had to deal with claws before. But then, no attack had ever been this bad before, or even very close.

The situation was abruptly made worse as alarms went off throughout the SGC and an "unscheduled off-world activation" was announced. Sam's father had almost certainly been the one to open the 'Gate.

His timing couldn't be worse. He had to arrive when Sam was least prepared to deal with him, or anyone else for that matter. For some reason, though, the thought of seeing her father comforted her, and helped her to finally start getting some control. Shortly after the alarms had stopped sounding, she was ready to go and greet him.

On her way to the 'Gate room, the reality of the situation began to sink in. She was getting out of control; she couldn't keep her secret much longer. She just hoped that her loss of control wouldn't put other people at risk.

Sam found herself once again fighting back fear as she paused outside the 'Gate room to collect herself. Being afraid of someone who was shooting at you was one thing, that fear was familiar and could be dealt with. But she was beginning to realize that it was something else entirely to be afraid of yourself.

Jacob half listened as Jack filled him in on what they knew about their guest. His name was Keathu. He wasn't Goa'uld but he was uncooperative, not answering some questions or allowing a thorough medical exam. He had come to Earth uninvited and pretty well armed, carrying a zat, two scimitars, and an Ashrak-style knife in addition to a utilitarian knife. Daniel mentioned that he didn't speak with the same accent as the others from the planet he'd come from, nor did he look or dress much like the locals of that world. Jack still got the last word explaining how he was determined to speak to a Tok'Ra, even saying he'd come specifically because he knew about SG-1 and that the Tau'ri were allies of the Tok'Ra.

The part of Jacob's mind not engaged in registering this information was worrying about Sam. She walked slightly ahead of him as they went to talk to Keathu, giving him an opportunity to study her for any hints to what was wrong. Her teammates knew her well and Jacob didn't doubt that they could tell she was nervous. But they hadn't known her literally from day one and might not be able to read the very subtle clues in her actions that a father's well-trained eye could spot.

She's acting like she's afraid someone will notice something, Jacob thought._ I'm not quite sure what, but definitely something. She looks kinda like she's afraid of something happening, too. The two are connected in some way. Her last mission is probably involved somehow, but I don't think that's the main problem. _

There are just too many confusing signals, Jacob thought, knowing that by now at least his frustration was seeping through his emotional bond with Selmak. _I'm her father, I should know what's wrong better than this. Was there something she hinted at on my last visit that I didn't catch? Or is she just not telling me? But if that's true then why? Whatever this problem is, I get the sense it's been going on for a while, even if it's only now coming to a head._

Jacob thought.Jacob thought, knowing that by now at least his frustration was seeping through his emotional bond with Selmak. 

Selmak made no particular comment on her host's rambling thoughts, though Jacob knew she could hear them and that she shared his concern for Sam. Selmak did, however, make sure her host was paying attention when they reached the guest room where Keathu was quartered.

As the guard stationed outside opened the door, Jacob forced himself to push his thoughts about Sam to one side and quickly review what he'd been told about the man that he was about to meet.

He followed Jack into the room and allowed him to handle introductions. He didn't bother trying to hide his amusement as the colonel stumbled over how to introduce Selmak. Jack just gave him an annoyed look and shrugged slightly.

Keathu wore fatigues, probably given to him to ensure he carried no hidden weapons. He was about the same height as Jack and gave the sense that he was strong, even though he was built lean. His dark hair was pulled back seemingly just to keep it out of the way, while his dark eyes and angular features gave the impression that he wasn't one to back down from a fight.

Despite this, Jacob soon found him not to be quite what he'd expected for someone who'd come to the SGC well armed and resistant to doing what he was asked. He was wary of Jacob and it was clear he could sense Selmak's presence, but he didn't strike Jacob as the confrontational type, just cautious and ready to defend himself if it became necessary. As Jacob shook his hand, it became apparent why he could sense Selmak. He had once been a host.

When he mentioned it a moment later, Keathu's expression was unreadable. But it was clear from the way he rubbed the back of his neck at the comment that he was self conscious about that fact, and probably also of the scar the Goa'uld had no doubt left there as well. He explained that was the reason he had been so resistant to earlier questioning and had refused a medical exam. He hadn't wanted anyone to know he had once been a host, fearing distrust.

"Not that your resistance helped much as far as trust's concerned," Jack had commented. Jacob resisted the temptation to roll his eyes.

Keathu's reason for wanting to contact the Tok'Ra was revealed soon after. He had been considering becoming a Tok'Ra host, and had a lot of questions regarding that for Jacob and Selmak, mainly concerning the differences between the Tok'Ra and the Goa'uld and how they treated their hosts. Jacob could understand his concern and slight hesitation before he agreed to talk to a Tok'Ra by the name of Taleem who was in need of a new host.

Before the conversation got too far off track though, Jacob had a few questions of his own to ask such as why did he carry an Ashrak's knife. Reluctantly Keathu admitted that the Goa'uld that had once possessed him had been an Ashrak. His tone of voice told the two men interviewing him all they needed to know about his opinion of the Goa'uld.

"I only keep it because I can find no better one and I use it only when given no other choice," Keathu said. "I still remember everything even though I don't want to. Sometimes I wonder if a Tok'Ra would even want me as a host because of those memories."

Jacob's only response was to say he'd have to talk to Taleem about that.

Thinking back over what he'd been told about Keathu before meeting him, Jacob recalled what Daniel had said about him being different from the other people of the world where SG-1 had met him. When asked, Keathu explained he wasn't originally from that world, but had gone to teach the locals some tricks for fighting the Goa'uld, having heard somewhere that they needed them.

The last question Jacob asked before ending the meeting was how Keathu had gotten rid of the Ashrak.

"Selmak could probably tell you what little is known about the events on Crinnan that led to the Goa'uld abandoning it," Keathu began. "The Ashrak I was host of was under Nirrti's command. She ordered him to go to Crinnan and attempt to discover what had happened. He found no new information about what drove the Goa'uld from that planet, but he did find that there is a lizard there with venom that is not toxic to humans, but is deadly to Goa'uld. I stepped on one and it bit me. Perhaps the lizards played a role in the abandonment of Crinnan, but I do not know for certain."

"When were you there?" Jacob asked him.

"About two years ago," Keathu answered.

'So he'll have at least a little information that is more up to date than what we have,' Jacob commented to Selmak. _'It could be useful to have him with us.' _

'Yes,' Selmak replied. _'Also, if Taleem chooses to blend with him then he would have a reason to go and his interest in Crinnan would be satisfied.' _

Yea I really wish you'd just left the mission to him in the first place, Jacob thought bitterly, not noticing if Selmak heard him or not. From the reaction his comment got, it was clear she had heard, though. _'Don't start that argument again _now_' _he pleaded with Selmak. _'My headache from earlier hasn't died down yet.' _Selmak didn't listen.

Jacob commented to Selmak. Selmak replied. Jacob thought bitterly, not noticing if Selmak heard him or not. From the reaction his comment got, it was clear she had heard, though. nowhe pleaded with Selmak. Selmak didn't listen.

'Samantha deserves to know,' she said.

'She doesn't need to know,' Jacob retorted. 'It makes no difference in her life anyway, and the only thing knowing is likely to do is make her curious and get her in trouble.'

Selmak answered with the mental equivalent of a frustrated sigh._'For now I see no point in furthering this argument. Our mission on Crinnan will likely give you ample reason to tell her.' _

'That's what I'm afraid of.'

For the time being Jacob said nothing to Keathu about the mission to Crinnan he'd gotten stuck with, simply ending the meeting and exchanging good-byes and a promise to contact the Tok'Ra to arrange for Taleem to meet him. When he left he knew he'd have to take care of that first, but as soon as that was done he was definitely going to have a talk with his daughter.

Sam did and yet did not want to talk to her dad. On one hand, she didn't get to see him often and really needed someone to talk to. But on the other hand, what the hell was she supposed to say that wouldn't make it sound like she was going nuts? How was she supposed to explain to him all the weird stuff that happened to her when she couldn't explain it to herself?

Her father had been prodding her about what was wrong for over an hour before he'd been called away. Apparently Taleem wanted to talk to Selmak for a few minutes before blending with Keathu. Sam was grateful for the reprieve but knew that he'd come back even more persistent and probably from a different angle that was harder for her to defend against.

For the moment at least, she was alone in her lab. The memory of what had happened in that room earlier was fresh in her mind, but she didn't let herself dwell on it. She knew from past experience that thinking for too long about the attacks would eventually trigger one.

That's probably what triggered the last one, Sam thought. _I let myself think too much about my mistake with letting the colonel see how my eyes change sometimes, let myself get too up tight about it and…another attack._

Sam thought. 

Not thinking about such things was difficult though. Between her slip-up in the 'Gate room, and the severity of the last attack of the odd feeling, it was nearly impossible. She needed something to do, and she needed to get out of her lab.

A phone call from her father informed her that Selmak was insisting on watching over the blending of Keathu and Taleem. That meant he'd be occupied for a while and, with luck, she wouldn't see him until the briefing that had been somewhat hastily scheduled for that evening.

"The blending will be finished by then," her dad said. "Probably a couple hours before that actually. I wish we could've continued our conversation uninterrupted, but Selmak can be extremely stubborn. One argument with her is enough for a month, much less a day."

"You were arguing with Selmak earlier?" Sam asked.

"Selmak got me assigned to a mission I don't want. I'll explain what it is in the briefing later. That argument was why I was in such a bad mood when I got here earlier. It's a real pain in the ass when you can't get away from the one you're arguing with, and I don't want her any more pissed off than she is already. My headache's bad enough as it is."

Sam couldn't help but laugh. As their conversation finished and she hung up the phone, she realized all she had to do was find something to occupy herself for the time between when the blending finished and the briefing started. Something that would require her undivided attention, so her dad couldn't interrogate her while she was doing it. There was always something that needed to be done around the SGC.

If things go the way I think they will, she thought,_ then we'll be too busy preparing for a mission for him to bug me much after the briefing. That'll buy me the rest of tonight, and tomorrow we'll be busy with the mission itself. Hopefully by the time that's done I'll have figured things out._

she thought, 

But it had been several years since the first incidence of the odd feeling, and Sam couldn't help but doubt that a couple more days would make much difference in her understanding of it.

Reviews feed my somewhat underdeveloped ego, encourage me to write, and are highly appreciated! Thanks again to all those who reviewed the prologue! I hope you still like how this is going!

Next chapter; the briefing, and maybe a few small hints about what Jacob doesn't want to tell Sam.


	3. Ch2 Briefings and realizations

Title; Moonshadow (yes it will be explained in one of the next two chapters I promise).

Author; Arathi

Rating; PG-13 for violence in future chapters.

Archive; this is my first fic, I'm still not sure what this means.

Category; Supernatural/Action/Adventure also Drama and a little Angst.

Disclaimer; I own the plot, the character Keathu/Taleem, and all aspects of the race I've created for this fic (only mentioned in this chapter). Everything else I'm just borrowing.

Spoilers; I don't think there are any in this chapter.

Warnings; none for this chapter, later chapters will contain references to nudity (not graphic) and some blood.

Status; work in progress.

Author's Notes; sorry it took me so long to update. Two problems; first I had school (which only recently ended), then my muse didn't want to write the briefing scene I promised. It wanted to skip to ch3! Silly muse. Anyway, now I'm out of school until early July so hopefully I'll get a couple more updates in before school starts, at which point they'll be slower in coming again. College = much homework. 'Nuff said. I do my own editing so any mistakes are my own.

Responses to some reviews from chapter 1; BelovedOne, wish granted. Rosethorneight, you'll have to wait and see. Kalika55, good point and I tried to address that a little in here, at least briefly. Clair Shadows, you got my email about the Sentinel thing (sorry it's not a crossover), I'm very glad you like my writing style, and most of the half-dozen stories my muse has bouncing around involve Jacob/Selmak for pretty much that reason. Thanks to everyone who reviewed and I'm looking forward to getting more (they feed my muse and a well-fed muse is a happy muse).

Other notes; **bold is when the symbiote is talking**, _italics are thoughts, 'italics in quotes are conversation between Tok'Ra host and symbiote, _and this thing ----- denotes a change in point of view.

And now--on with the show!

...................

Jacob sat supposedly "watching over" the blending of Keathu and Taleem. But realistically, he was just sitting arguing with Selmak for the second time that day. It certainly wasn't helping his headache to be doing so, and ideally he would have put off further argument with his symbiote for at least a month, but circumstances weren't allowing that.

First, Selmak had gotten him assigned to a mission he didn't want. Then he'd come home to find something was very wrong with Sam and she wouldn't tell him what. And finally, he'd been introduced to Keathu, who only served to complicate matters.

'You had to watch over him, didn't you?' Jacob said to Selmak. _'Any Tok'Ra could've done it but it just had to be you. They're both healthy; it's not like there's much chance of anything going wrong. Someone else could've watched over them while I talked to Sam. I thought the whole reason for getting me assigned to this damn mission was to get me to talk to her.'_

'She was only becoming more defensive with each question,' Selmak responded. _'Further "pestering" would only have angered her, as you well know._

'Well I don't see you suggesting anything better,' Jacob replied irritably.

Selmak ignored his comment and went into her own explanation. _'While we watch over the blending, she has a chance to calm down. We both know she will try to avoid us until the briefing, but we will have to go over many things with Taleem before that time as it is. You will have ample opportunity to speak with her on the mission, both in regards to what is wrong, and other, older issues. You need to be patient.'_

'"Be patient" my ass,' he said._ 'I thought you knew patience isn't one of my strong suits.'_

'I am well aware,' Selmak answered wryly.

Jacob sighed. _'You know, there are times you're a real pain in the butt,' _he told her.

'No, I am a pain in the neck_,' _she replied, squirming slightly to prove her point. Jacob wasn't sure if he should smile at the joke or grimace at the slight discomfort caused by Selmak's wiggling. But even so, his symbiotes well-timed humor lightened his mood and not just because she never joked when she was angry, the way she had been earlier.

While Selmak was laughing at Jacob's failed attempts to think of a suitable retort, the newly blended Keathu and Taleem started to wake. It only took a moment to confirm that everything was fine, at least physically. It would take time for them to become accustomed to each other mentally.

The two Tok'Ra spent about half of the time between then and the briefing discussing everything that would need to be covered while they explained the mission. Jacob spent most of the remaining time in the commissary, since Sam was unavailable.

'She's doing this intentionally,' Jacob told Selmak. _'I tried to tell you she'd do this, that she'd find some way to avoid me if given half a chance. You didn't listen to me. Of course the "oldest and wisest" of the Tok'Ra knows everything. I know my daughter and-'_

'I do not know everything, Jacob,' Selmak interrupted. _'But I do know this. Staying and angering her would have been equally as fruitless as what we do now. Watching over Taleem's blending may have given her the chance to find a way to avoid us, but it has also given her a chance to calm herself. I cannot say for certain if being calmer will encourage her to share her problems, but being angry most certainly will not.'_

Jacob had to admit that she had a point. He knew he was being irrational, but when he was worrying about one of his kids, rationality tended to go out the window. It was true that Selmak shared all of his emotions. The difference was that she had many, many more years of life experience to filter them through and help put them in context than he did. There were days he wondered if he'd ever learn to stop taking his frustrations out on her, blaming her for everything even when she was right.

Jacob sighed. Sometimes sharing his mind and body with another being, especially one who was older and more knowledgeable than him, was extremely annoying. Then at other times it forced him to see things in another light, make him look at things from a different angle. Selmak could be a pain in the ass—or neck—sometimes, but she also forced him to really think about things he would otherwise have pushed into the far corners of his mind and avoided. Most importantly, or perhaps most annoyingly, she wouldn't let him lie to himself.

Her utter refusal to let him deceive himself had been one of the reasons he'd started patching up his relationship with his son. Jacob appreciated that she'd forced him to see and feel what he'd denied for so long that he'd begun to believe his own lies. But reuniting him with his son was one thing, and giving Sam information that could put her at risk was entirely another.

It was bad enough that she was on the front line of the fight against the Goa'uld, that not a day went by without him worrying about her, wondering if she was safely on Earth or off on a mission. He didn't need to worry about her getting herself in trouble on Earth on top of that. And what Selmak wanted him to tell her could do just that, it could make Earth less of a safe place for her.

'She deserves to know the truth, Jacob,' Selmak said gently.

Until she spoke up, he hadn't realized that he had not retreated into the private part of his mind to think and that Selmak was aware of the direction of his musings. _'I won't put her at risk over something that has no effect on her life anyway,' _he told her.

'Samantha is not a child,' she said. _'She is a very strong, intelligent woman. She is more than capable of taking care of herself and making her own decisions. I am sure that if you explain your concerns to her she will take them into consideration. And I disagree that it has no effect on her life. She has a right to know what she is. Even if it makes no physical difference, it does make other differences. She already knows the language, why should she not be allowed to explore the rest of the culture?'_

'Because some of the people she'll run into in exploring that culture aren't exactly tolerant of people like her,' Jacob practically snapped. _'Keeping her away from them is the best way to keep her safe.'_

'We both know that Samantha is quite capable of defending herself when necessary,' was Selmak's reply. She was silent a moment and Jacob could sense that she was choosing her next words very carefully. _'I do not think that in your heart you truly believe she is incapable of handling the truth, Jacob. I think that you fear her going where you cannot follow, that you fear loosing her, fear that she will change with that knowledge.'_ He mentally glared at her as she paused to gauge his reaction. _'It is a part of her, Jacob. Whether or not she is aware of its presence within her, it is still a part of her.'_

Jacob didn't respond. He couldn't. All he could do was seek out a private corner of his mind and contemplate his symbiote's words.

-----

Sam stood in the elevator waiting for it to reach her floor, hoping she could get from it to the briefing room without running into her father. But as the elevator paused and the doors opened to let another passenger enter her luck ran out and her dad joined her.

"Hey Sam," he said.

"Hey." She could tell from his expression that he'd been doing some thinking and was still catching up with the outside world. It didn't surprise her when his next words were a moment in coming.

"You remember earlier I mentioned I didn't want this mission?" he asked. She nodded and he continued, "Could you do me a favor and not mention that to anyone?"

"Sure, but… why?"

"It's a long story," he said as the elevator reached their floor. As they stepped out into the corridor, conversation died.

Sam was edgy after the events of the last couple days. First, the mistake of letting her CO see how her eyes changed as a result of that odd feeling she sometimes had. Then, suffering what was by far the worst attack of the odd feeling to date, as if the increasing frequency of the attacks over the last couple years wasn't bad enough. She found herself wishing, not for the first time, that she'd told someone about these things the first time it had happened, or at least the second or third. But those first incidences had been weeks apart, and they had been mild and not any problem at all. By the time it had become one several months later, it was too late and she'd already made the mistake of keeping it secret. She had her father's pride, and didn't like the idea of admitting to things so far after the fact, especially since she was sure to be reprimanded for keeping it secret.

Edgy as she was, the silence that fell between her and her father was just too much on top of her nervousness. It had to be broken. Glancing at her dad, she noticed the troubled expression on his face. "Dad, are you okay?" she asked.

"Who me? Fine. Just fine," he said sarcastically. "First I get stuck with a mission I don't want. Then Selmak says stuff to make me think about something more than I want to the way she sometimes does. Not to mention that a certain someone isn't talking to me." He stopped walking and looked at her pointedly. "Don't even try to tell me nothing's wrong Sam."

She couldn't lie to him, not when he put it so bluntly. She looked off to one side so she wouldn't have to meet his gaze. Stuffing her hands in her pockets and shifting uncomfortably, she found herself having to once again break the silence. "We'll have to talk after the briefing, we're going to be late."

Her father studied her for a moment, until she met his eyes. Then, slowly he led the way down the corridor, saying nothing. He didn't need to say anything, his expression told her everything she needed to know. They were definitely going to have a talk later, whether she liked it or not.

-----

Jacob was not entirely surprised that he and Sam weren't the last to arrive for the briefing, despite her warning. George, Jack, Teal'c and Keathu and Taleem were already there, but it was Daniel that got there last, and late. From what he'd heard the man was often late, so it didn't surprise him that an 'I'm sorry' look sufficed for an apology. Once he was seated, conversation immediately turned to business.

"I know you don't particularly want to listen to a history lesson, but this time it's important," Jacob said, aiming the comment at Jack who responded with a slight grimace.

"Our mission will take us to a planet called Crinnan, originally established as a research colony by a minor Goa'uld," Jacob explained. "He later discovered that there were actually considerable deposits of naquida and a few other useful minerals on that planet. After that he made it his home world so he wouldn't have to divide his best defenses between two planets and started fortifying it. Not surprisingly, being only a minor Goa'uld, the System Lords eventually killed him. From there several System Lords occupied it in turn, the last one to control it being Sokar.

"About five hundred fifty years ago the slaves that worked the mines organized a revolt. It was suppressed, but a fair number of them escaped into the surrounding areas. Fifty years later, they came back, enlisted the help of those who were still slaves and successfully revolted. Beyond the fact a revolt took place, we don't know much. Communications were lost fairly early and no one escaped to explain how they coordinated everything, which would have been difficult considering there were several mines involved scattered over a good several mile area. We also know nothing of their tactics.

"At the time, Sokar was involved in a major conflict with Ra. He had other sources for all of the materials found on Crinnan and didn't send any Jaffa to retake the planet, assuming he'd have time when the war was over. Ra ended up controlling that area of space about a century later, but because it's location was tactically vulnerable at the time, he didn't see it as worth the effort to retake."

"So what exactly does all this mean for us?" Jack asked. George gave him a warning look.

"If you'll let me finish?" Jacob responded. At a nod from George he continued. "At the time it was tactically vulnerable. Now, it could be strategically valuable, not to mention the resources it still has. The mission we have in mind has two main goals. The first is to warn the inhabitants of the threat of the Goa'uld and try to ensure they are prepared if they attempt to take control of the planet, and it is quite likely they will. The second is to negotiate a treaty to reopen the naquida mines near the Stargate. We don't know exactly how much naquida is left, but we do know that the mines weren't dry."

'Taleem has a third goal in mind, Jacob,' Selmak reminded him. '_You should tell them of it.'_

'You have another goal, too, but that doesn't mean I'm gonna bring it up,' Jacob responded. _'If Taleem wants to let his other goal be know now he can bring it up himself.'_

The possibility of getting naquida got everyone's attention. Jack still couldn't resist making one of his trademark sarcastic comments though. "You mean to say you guys don't have a way to get naquida except through us?"

Jacob gave him an irritated look. "We do have other ways, it's just easier when we don't have to steal it from under a Goa'uld's nose. And if you'll _try_ to be patient, I'll explain why you're involved." Jack nodded and he continued. "One of the consequences of the attack on Ravanna is that there are fewer of us trying to handle the same number of assignments. Normally this kind of mission would be done by a group of at least four Tok'Ra. The council isn't comfortable with the idea of me going alone, and originally Taleem wasn't supposed to go. The only reason that's changed is because Keathu has been to Crinnan within the last few years and has some more up-to-date information than what we have without him. The council can't spare more than the two of us for this mission."

"So basically if we can get this mining treaty, we'll have to do most of the work," Jack said.

"We will help as much as we can," Keathu told him, but Jack didn't look particularly convinced.

"Hey, at least we're willing to share," Jacob put in. Even Jack couldn't do anything but shrug slightly and give an 'okay so you have a point' look, which Selmak found amusing.

Keathu glanced at Jacob to get his attention and tipped his head slightly to ask permission to bring up anther topic. Jacob nodded and Keathu's head dipped for a moment as Taleem came to the surface.

"There is one other task I would like to attempt to complete on this mission" he began, using the dual-toned voice of a Tok'Ra symbiote. **"If it is possible, I would like to find out how the revolts were organized and what tactics were used. If we can do so, then it may be possible to use similar tactics on other planets."**

"Personally I'm of the opinion that whatever those tactics were, they won't be of much use elsewhere," Jacob cut in.

"Why is that?" George asked.

"One of the unique things about Crinnan is that the population is pretty evenly split between humans and another race called Sacheni," Jacob explained. "I don't doubt that that fact is integral to the tactics they used."

"Very little is known about Sacheni," Taleem said. **"Their outward appearance is human, but they are stronger and more resilient than humans. We also know that they are incompatible as hosts, since their bodies begin to reject a symbiote within days. A Goa'uld will only take one as a host in desperation, and it will only stay in that host long enough to find another, more compatible one. Occasionally a Goa'uld will take a human-Sacheni hybrid as a host for perhaps a month. After that, the hybrid's body will start to reject the symbiote just as a pure Sacheni's would. Such hybrids are rare though, and few Goa'uld will take a host for such a short period."**

'"Hybrids,"' Jacob said to Selmak in a disgusted tone. _'He makes it sound so cold, like it's a bad thing to be half human and half Sacheni.'_

'He does not know, Jacob,' Selmak reminded him. _'He means no offense.'_

'Yea well that doesn't mean that I have to like it,' he responded.

"Why would a Goa'uld want one of these hybrids as a host if it's going to reject them anyway?" Daniel asked.

The Tok'Ra's head dropped for a moment as Keathu reemerged. "The fact that they are half Sacheni makes them somewhat stronger and tougher than humans, though not to the degree of a pure Sacheni," Keathu explained. "On rare occasion, a Goa'uld, usually an Ashrak, will take a hybrid as a host to take advantage of these traits. The disadvantage is that a hybrid also inherits a portion of the Sacheni's immune system, hence why their bodies will reject a symbiote after about a month."

Jacob's head lowered in the middle of this explanation as Selmak emerged, not because she desired to speak, but because she did not want Jacob to snap at Keathu for being a bit cold in his talk of 'hybrids.' She could understand her host's sensitivity to what the other Tok'Ra was saying. However, they both understood, and agreed, that a burst of anger would be inappropriate and it was better not to risk rousing Jacob's temper.

Jacob, for his part, was able to calm down once the briefing moved on to mission details, finally ending with George giving the go ahead for them to embark the next morning.

-----

Sam went straight from the briefing to the commissary, along with the rest of her team. The mission sounded like a good idea, the only thing nagging her about it was the bit about Sacheni. For some reason she had the feeling she should know something more about what that word meant than what she'd been told, she almost felt like she'd heard it before, although she was sure she hadn't.

Dinner was uneventful at first, aside from the talk about the upcoming mission. Sam was admittedly distracted through most of it. It wasn't until a lull in the conversation that it suddenly hit her.

"Shape-changer," she whispered under her breath.

"Hmm?" Daniel asked.

"Nothing, just thinking out loud," she told him.

"About?" the colonel prodded.

"Umm, I can't really explain it," she said truthfully. Getting up from the table she said, "I just realized I've gotta run home and get something."

"Now? We've got a mission tomorrow morning. It can't wait?" The colonel asked.

"No, sir, it can't. It won't take long, I know right where it is," she assured him. "All I have to do is go get it and come back. I'll be back in time to hit the hay for the night."

"Okay, if it's that important, run along and get…whatever this thing is," he said.

Sam hurried out of the mountain, her realization bouncing around her head. The word Sacheni, if she were to translate it to English, meant "shape-changer." It was in the language that her mother had taught her and her brother as children. She hadn't thought about it in several years, so it was no surprise to her it had taken almost all of dinner to figure out why it sounded vaguely familiar. She had never heard the word itself, but its' component parts were familiar to her, as were the rules for combining them. If there was a race of people called Sacheni on that planet, then maybe the language she'd been taught was important.

Her mother had promised to explain why she taught her children to speak, read, and write the language when they were old enough. Whether or not she had explained things to Mark, Sam didn't know, but she had never had the chance to explain her actions to her daughter.

When Sam arrived at home, she headed straight for the basement. She grabbed a box of things that reminded her of her mother and pulled out five books, all of them handwritten by one relative or another. One was a basic book, giving the alphabet used for the language, which had more letters than the English alphabet, and rules of grammar and usage for that language. Two of them were dictionaries of sorts. All of the words were grouped by first letter, but beyond that they weren't in any kind of order. One was English-to-the language Sam didn't know the name of, the other was the reverse. The fourth book was a collection of short stories, and the last she had never read.

Putting the box away, she headed back to the mountain. If she hurried she'd have a little time to do a quick review before bed. Given how long it'd been since she'd practiced, she was sure to need it. The thought struck her briefly that the fact the word Sacheni came from that language might not mean anything, but her gut told her otherwise. Sam couldn't explain it, but she was sure she wasn't going to regret her sudden decision to take the books on their upcoming mission, though given the memories they brought up, she wasn't going to let them out of her sight for a second.

When she reached her quarters in the SGC, she found a note had been slipped under the door. It was from her dad, she'd completely forgotten her agreement to talk with him. She'd have to apologize tomorrow; he was probably already asleep. For the moment, all she was going to do was re-familiarize herself with the basics of the runic language she had gone years without a thought of.

...................

So what did you think? Hopefully no school (at least 'till July) will mean a quicker update this time. I promised some hints in this chapter, and I think there are quite a few if you read carefully. QuickEdit didn't like some of the formating from previus chapters, so it's changed a tiny, tiny bit (section dividers and stuff like that).

I will be doing other points of view in upcoming chapters, it just hasn't been conveniant to do so thus far.

Next chapter; embarking on the mission to Crinnan, more clues to what's up with Sam, and dad finds out what's bugging his daughter. Plus more I don't want to give away!

My muse and I would love reviews! (And many thanks to those who reviewed previous installments.) Muse gives the sad puppy-eyed look. Just click the little button in the corner and write a couple comments, that's all we ask. Please? Pretty please?


	4. Ch3 Arrivals

Title: Moonshadow

Author: Arathi

Rating: PG-13

Category: Supernatural/Action/Adventure with some Drama mixed in

Disclaimers: Not mine, not getting money for this (although reviews are a good replacement hinthint)

Season: pre-Evolution

Spoilers: Random small spoilers may be scattered here and there.

Warnings: Later chapters will contain non-graphic reference to nudity and some blood.

Status: WIP

A/N: Yes I know it's been forever since I last updated. Blame my muse, she decided to get totally off track and didn't want to work on this for a while. --muse looks innocent-- I've got her back to this thankfully. Hopefully in the future she will listen to me a bit more.

Matt and Terri, thanks for the support while writing. And a big thank you to Jakefanatic for betaing!

JDee alien freak, lady rosebit, SamCrazed, Crazy Kat, Hakureiki, and cL235 thank you for the reviews.

This represents a change in POV----------

On with the fic!

---------------------

Tanis walked among the ruins of buildings left by the Goa'uld when they were driven from his world. He was one of a scarce few that knew them by that name, his father's people called them "Kalir" and his mother's people called them "demons." Kalir actually translated to demon and the names were not undeserved, as he knew all too well.

Walking alone among the ruins was a regular activity for him. The majority of the people of his world, both human and Sacheni, avoided them. He visited often to chase away the few who did come to visit, keeping them well clear of both the hidden and not-so hidden threats the ruins contained. He knew the dangers of the place perfectly, and how to avoid them. But there was another reason he visited the ruins, and that was to keep watch on the Chappa'ai.

In his lifetime, only one man had come through. Tanis had kept a close watch on him during his visit. He could tell the man was Kalir-hach, demon-held, when he arrived, but while in the lowlands beneath the ruins he was bitten by a Tas-lizard and the demon within him died. The man had barely survived the ordeal, it seemed to Tanis, but after several days he'd recovered enough to slowly climb the trail to the ruins.

After the Goa'uld died, Tanis had wanted nothing more than to talk to him, ask him some of the many questions he had about other worlds. He was virtually the only one on his world that realized others existed and could be reached through the Chappa'ai. But he had been told quite strictly to have no contact with him, only to watch and, if needed, warn a settlement of the demon's approach. No such warnings had been necessary, but he could well understand the caution with which the man was treated. He had bent the rule by leaving food for him when he was unconscious, but was not willing to break it outright.

Since the day the man had left, device had remained inactive. Until that day, when six figures came through the rippling surface of the Chappa'ai, followed by some kind of mechanical… thing. Five of the visitors were men, the last a woman. The six walked within thirty feet of his hiding place in the bushes nearby but didn't see his hiding place, thanks to his Sacheni instincts for silence and stillness. They knew he was there somewhere, but that didn't matter. As long as they couldn't find him he was safe. Tanis noted that the tall dark-skinned man was Jaffa, and he could smell two others were hosts to Goa'uld, though he wasn't quite sure which two. He also noticed one of the men was the visitor from two years earlier.

It was the woman who caught his attention though. She was beautiful, yes, but it was not her looks that held the most interest to him. Her scent was that of an Ilmarn, like him.

----------

Jack just had to tease Jacob about how unusual it was to see him in BDU to match his team instead of the usual Tok'Ra garb. Jacob laughed and joked back as they went through the Gate, followed by the rest of the team and a loaded FRED.

The Gate was just outside the remains of a walled city on a low rise. They were in a large valley between mountain ranges that dominated the skyline before them and behind. The naquida mines were reported to be on the far side of the city in the nearby foothills. To the right the valley sloped downhill into brush filled land that Keathu had told them was only solid ground for half the width of the valley, the other half being marshland. The marshes eventually emptied into an ocean that was out of view. To the left was an open grassy area with scattered ruins. The grassland ended in tree covered hills about half a mile away which in turn gave way to mountains in the distance.

Almost as soon as he finished taking in the sights, Jack got the feeling they were being watched. Glancing at Teal'c he could tell his friend felt it too, and he wasn't the only one. Both Carters seemed wary and Keathu's hand was hovering near his zat. Daniel was the only one who wasn't immediately aware of the eyes watching them, but he was quick to pick up on his teammate's behavior and was cautious.

The ruins themselves were nothing if not just what their name implied, ruins. Half-crumbled and badly overgrown, it was mainly their shape that pointed to less-than-natural origins. A single large building was surrounded with variously sized smaller buildings, and the whole town was surrounded by a thick wall. The buildings scattered outside the wall seemed in worse shape from what they could see. In some places the trees and brush obscuring many of the major buildings seemed to have been intentionally planted there to hide them. The vines especially seemed placed to camouflage, making it hard to the find entrances to many of them.

Inside the buildings of the walled city, roots from trees and other things growing on the second floor, or occasionally a still-intact roof, hung down from the ceilings of many main-floor rooms and corridors. Dead leaves, branches, and other debris had collected in entranceways, courtyards, and every corner where the wind couldn't blow it away. There were some pieces of pottery and a few personal effects left in some of the residences, but the shops seemed to have been cleaned out when the Goa'uld were driven away. Part of the city looked like it had burned.

SG-1 and the two Tok'Ra split into teams when they reached the main complex. Jack and the two Carters were on one team, while Daniel, Teal'c and Keathu were on the other.

The main complex seemed to be in better condition than the rest of the city, probably because it was built with more durable materials. There were broken bits of pottery in what appeared to be the kitchens and statues that had been smashed here and there. Any loose jewelry or other gold had been looted long ago. What was odd was that there were no tablets, of the page-turning kind or otherwise, and no data crystals, even in a room Jacob suspected had once been a library of sorts. Some of the panels of control crystals had been opened and certain key ones removed as well.

Someone who had at least a vague idea what they were doing had gone through the main complex with a fine-toothed comb. Evidence pointed to this having happened in very recent years, as opposed to the general looting that took place when the Goa'uld were first driven off. Teal'c even radioed in saying he'd found a bit of evidence that someone had been in the ruins, and in the main complex, earlier that very day. Maybe the one who had been watching them when they arrived?

What they did find was graffiti written in a language which Daniel, reporting by radio, said that he didn't recognize. When the two teams met up he immediately turned to Jacob about the writing, since Keathu apparently hadn't been able to answer his questions.

"I'm guessing this is written in the Sacheni language," he said to Jacob. "Am I right? It's not a human language that I recognize, or even all that similar."

"Looks like it," Jacob responded.

When Jacob didn't elaborate Daniel started to get impatient, finally asking "So what does it say?"

"Beats me," was Jacob's response. At Daniel's questioning look he added, "I may recognize the language when I see it, but I can't read a word of it."

Daniel's response to that announcement was a disappointed, somewhat deflated look. Jack couldn't help but find it amusing.

----------

Sam half listened to Daniel and her father as they talked. It seemed odd to her that her father couldn't read the runic Sacheni language Daniel was so interested in. After all it was her mother who had taught it to her as a child. Why her mother had done that, Sam did not know. She herself wasn't very good at it, being years out of practice, but she could still read enough of it to understand the basic point of the graffiti. Presumably "Kalir" which roughly meant "demon," was a reference to the Goa'uld. If that were so, then much of what she'd seen so far was a variety of anti-Goa'uld slurs.

Sam was uncomfortable knowing a language understood by neither Daniel nor her father, host of the "oldest and wisest" of the Tok'Ra. Something inside her told her to keep her knowledge a secret, and because of her discomfort, she listened to that something.

_Only for the time being,_ she thought to herself.

In one corridor, Daniel found a fierce, many-toothed mask partially blocking the entrance to a room. Sam could hear him muttering about it from down the hall, where she was trying to decipher another bit of graffiti. When Daniel headed into the room, she went to look at the mask. The room consisted of a pond surrounded by a four foot wide walkway with the walls covered in writing, some of which the archaeologist was trying to read. There were three other doors out of the room, one in each wall, and each half-blocked by a mask.

Her father moved past her into the room, but he only glanced at the walls briefly before slowly approaching the pond and looking into it. From where she stood, Sam could only just make out a flicker of motion in the water. A fish perhaps? Her father stiffened at the sight. His reaction made it quite clear that whatever it was, it wasn't a fish.

"Daniel, get out of this room," he snapped.

"Why?" Daniel asked.

"Just get out _now_," her father replied, grabbing the younger man by the arm and showing him the door.

"What's going on?" Colonel O'Neill's voice came from behind Sam.

"The pool in there is home to a few Goa'uld symbiotes," Jacob told him. "Somehow I don't think anyone here wants one taking a flying leap at them."

Daniel looked spooked at the news. Anywhere in that room was in range if one had made a jump, and he'd been in there with his back to the pond, a perfect target for a Goa'uld in need of a host.

"That might be what the masks are here for," he said absently.

"What?" the Colonel asked.

"Well, if there are Goa'uld in that pond and the locals knew about it, and since we know they don't like Goa'uld, then the masks might be a warning to stay out of the room," Daniel said in one of his typical run-on explanations.

"And you didn't think of that _before_ you went in there?" the Colonel asked him.

"It's only a guess based on what I know now that I didn't know then," Daniel replied. "I have no frame of reference for this culture. I had no way of knowing what they meant, or even guessing, before Jacob warned me about what was in there. And that's still all it is, a guess."

The Colonel shook his head. "Whatever Daniel, just try to be more careful."

The group went back to exploring, this time avoiding the Goa'uld pond room. Sam soon found herself trying to read another bit of graffiti. But instead of a short statement of "down with the Goa'uld" or some equivalent, it was a short story. It was harder to read than most of the other bits and pieces. She had fairly quickly remembered the meaning of the most commonly seen words used in the crudely carved statements on the walls, but this was more complex and her rustiness with the language was starting to show.

Lost in her own thoughts, Sam almost jumped when her father put his hand on her shoulder, sensing his symbiotes presence just in time to avoid being startled.

"Interesting reading?" he asked.

"I'm out of practice," she told him.

Her father pursed his lips and nodded, accepting her explanation. "The others are moving on down the hall, we should catch up. For now we'll just finish exploring, you can come back and read more later." He paused, before adding, "I won't mention that you can read this stuff if you don't want me to."

"Yea, thanks, I appreciate it," she stammered, moving past him towards the rest of the group.

"Sam," her father said, his tone stopping her. "I know there's something bothering you and I'm sure this mission isn't helping. But I'm here if you want to talk. In fact I'd prefer if you did talk to me over this pretending there's nothing wrong like you've been doing. I'm just worried about you Sam. Whatever it is, I just want to help."

In truth she did want to tell him. But how? All she could do was nod and tell him "okay." His disappointed look was no surprise to her, but for the time being, she couldn't help it.

----------

They set up camp in a wide, shallow cave in the side of a hill overlooking the ruins. After dinner, they began figuring out what needed to be done and in what order. The two Tok'Ra were happy to avoid the marshes. There was nothing of interest in them, according to Keathu, and it was the habitat of the lizard with the symbiote-killing bite. But they still needed to explore the city in more detail, examine the outlying buildings, and contact the natives, not necessarily in that order.

Jacob's years in the military helped him stay focused on the task at hand, but once conversation turned away from the mission, he lost interest. He was worried about Sam. She wasn't one to share her problems unless she was in over her head, a trait she'd gotten from him. It was fairly rare for her to get in too deep, but some parental instinct was telling him that this was one of those times. Her stubbornness had saved her life several times, by all accounts, but right now Jacob was cursing that part of her inheritance. She wouldn't talk to him about her troubles, even though he could tell she needed to. He wished there was something he could do, but without knowing exactly what was wrong, he was powerless. It was _not_ a feeling he enjoyed.

Finally, watches were divided up, and everyone headed for their tents. Sam had first watch, and Jacob debated spending some of that time trying to coax answers out of her, Selmak could help him stay awake when it was his turn anyway. Keathu and Taleem, however, had other ideas. They wanted to discuss some things about the Tau'ri, concerned that they were making a bad impression. When that conversation finally ended and the recently blended pair headed for bed, Jacob sat watching Sam for a moment, listening to Selmak's words replaying in his head.

_'I do not think that in your heart you truly believe she is incapable of handling the truth, Jacob. I think that you fear her going where you cannot follow, that you fear loosing her, fear that she will change with that knowledge._ _It is a part of her, Jacob. Whether or not she is aware of its presence within her, it is still a part of her.'_

The arguments he and Selmak had been having about telling Sam certain long-kept secrets had finally come to a head, partly because Selmak had requested the mission they were currently on in order to force the issue. Deciding that maybe it would help Sam if he went first, he made up his mind that it was now or never.

Just before he could get up and go to her, though, she seemed to go on alert. Something was wrong.

----------

Sam had been on watch for about half an hour when she first felt someone watching her. She could hear her father and Keathu talking quietly, and her teammates were asleep. That left someone not part of their group observing them to explain the feeling.

She couldn't see the watcher, and didn't sense a threat at that moment, but it made her nervous. She never took her eyes off the forest around the camp, straining eyes and ears to pinpoint whatever was there. She was debating alerting the others to the stranger's presence when the odd feeling came over her. Almost immediately, she could feel the difference. It was like a repeat of what had happened in her lab the day before, and suddenly she froze as she tried to make sense of everything she could now perceive.

As her nightvision became more acute, she could see deeper into the forest. She could hear the soft rustle of leaves as some small creature scurried about and the shifting of fabric as one of the two Tok'Ra went to bed and the other came out of the tent. The rich scents of the camp and its surroundings filled her nose. Apparently the gentle breeze was blowing the wrong way because she still couldn't pinpoint their observer.

Sam tensed, and slowly backed up into camp. She bumped into something, and the sound of her knocking over a few things apparently woke the Colonel, as he stuck his head out of the tent to make sure everything was alright. Her father was standing off to one side, watching her intently as she told the Colonel what was going on. She was careful not to look at her commanding officer as she did so, knowing that when her nightvision improved her eyes looked strange. Why, she didn't know.

A few moments later, it was decided that there was nothing to be done about it for the time being, and that as long as they were content to watch, there was no reason to antagonize them. After all, a major part of their mission was to befriend the locals. She was told to stay extra alert to any signs that they might be doing more than watching, but beyond that, the matter was left alone and the Colonel went back to sleep, never noticing anything different about her in the dim light.

Her father, however, did. But his reaction was not what she expected. He ducked into his tent and woke Keathu, asking him to take the rest of her watch. Then he grabbed a radio and a zat and asked her to follow him to somewhere they could talk privately. No fuss, no insisting on a medical exam, nothing. Just an unreadable expression on his face and some muttering about telling her something. She couldn't think of anything else to do but follow him.

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Next chapter; the title will be explained and well… telling the rest would give it away.

Reviews feed my muse and keep her on track! --muse gives puppy-eyed look--


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